Automatic rewind and stop mechanism for mechanical music-playing instruments.



F. 0. WHITE. AUTOMATIC BEWIND AND STOP MECHANISM FOR MECHANICAL MUSIC PLAYING INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 10, 1912.

, "1 093 13 Patented Apr.-21, 191i RERDLL WITNESSES INVENTOR ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK C. WHITE, OF MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE WILCOX & WHITE COMPANY, OF MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

AUTOMATIC REWIND AND STOP MECHANISM FOR MECHANICAL MUSIC-PLAYING- INSTRUMENTS.

Specification of Letters Tatent. i Patented A r. 21 1914 Application filed January 10, 1912. Serial No. 670,361.

To all whom it mayconcem:

Be it known that I, FRANK C. WHITE, 2. citizenv of the 1 United States, residing at Meriden, county of New Haven, State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Rewind and Stop Mechanism for Mechanical Music- Playing Instruments, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to an improved automatic note-sheet re-winding and stopping apparatus for use in connection with mechanical music-playing instruments, particularly of the type which are driven by a motor, and which require no manual attention during the playing of the composition. In such instruments it is desirable to stop the forward travel of the note sheet at the end of the composition, to rewind said sheet on its spool, and to finally stop the machine when said sheet is fully re-wound. I

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating my invention, the parts being shown in one position. Fig. 2 is a similar View, the parts being shown in another position.

1 represents a note sheet, 2 represents the spool therefor, 3' representst-he so-called receiving or take-up spool. These spools are in effect winding arbors for the sheet 1.

4 represents a tracker-board.

5 represents a motor of any suitable construction; 1'

6 is a driving-chain. The chain 6 drives a gear 7 fixed on a shifta'ble shaft 8.

9 is a pinion gear fixed upon shaft 8, and arranged to be engaged with, and disengaged from, a gear 10 connected with the receiving spool- 3.

11 1s a gear loosely mounted upon the shaft 8 and arranged to freely rotate when the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 1. The gear 11 carries a chain 12 leading to a gear 13 for driving the music spool 2. The gear 7, shaft 8 and pinion gear 9 are bodily shiftable to throw the pinion gear 9 into, or out of, mesh with the gear 10 whenever desired. When the gear 9 is out of mesh with the gear 10, the shaft 8 is coupled to the gear w ll by any suitable clutch. In this instance "the clutch comprises a radial pin 14 mounted. on the shaft 8 and a laterally projecting pin 15 mounted on the hub of the gear 11, whereby when said clutch pins engage each other for operation, the gear 11 will constitute one of the driving gears for the music spool or roll 2.

When the parts are as shown in Fig. 1 and the motor is in operation, the music roll 3 will be driven in a direction to draw the note sheet over the tracker 4 in the direction of the arrow. When the 'end of the composition has been reached, the shifting mechanism 15' automatically operated to disengage the p1I1l0I1 gear 9 from the gear 10 and to clutch the shaft 8 with the gear 11, so that the note sheet 1 will be rewound upon the spool 2.

The winding and re-winding mechanism thus far described is old and well understood, and no claim thereto is made in this application, because it represents conventionally only one well known type, and further, because the particular form of the winding and re-winding mechanism is immaterial.

The means for automatically controlling the stopping of the sheet when the composition has been finished comprises a rod 16 arranged to engage the shaft 8 to shift it at the proper moment and to reverse the direction of drive for the note sheet. The rod 16 is normally held by a latch 17 in the position shown in Fig. 1. Means is automatically provided for releasing this latch when the end of the composition has been reached. This means, in its preferred form, comprises a collapsible pneumatic 18 connected with the latch 17, sothat when said pneumatic is collapsed said latch will be disengaged from the rod 16. When said rod is thus disengaged, it will be shifted to the right under the influence of a spring 19, which in this instance is indirectly connected 'withthe rod 16 through the medium of a lever 20, which latter is manually operable for the purpose of re-set-ting the parts. The pneumatic 18 is operated in this instance as follows: 21 is an exhaust pipe leading from the pneumatic 18 to the exhauster (not shown) of the instrument. The passage from the pneumatic 18 'to the exhaust pipe 21 is controlled by the usual primary and secondary valves (not shown). 22 is a vent pipe which leads to an opening'controlled by valve 23. So long as the valve 23 overstands the open end of the pipe 22 and atmospheric pressure is excluded, the pneumatic 18 will be extended and the latch 17 will remain in engagement with the rod 16. When the valve 23 is moved to open the vent 22, the primary and secondary valves will be operated in the usual manner, and the pneumatic 18 will be collapsed, releasing the latch 17 and rod 16, and shifting the gears aforesaid from the position shown inFig. 1 'to that shown in Fig. 2.

The control of the valve 23 is effected by some suitable opening or notch in the note sheet 1. In this instance I provide a shallow notch 24 (Fig. 1) in the edge of the note sheet at a point beyond the last note perforation therein.

25 is a contact device suitably connected, as by rod 26, with valve 23.

27 is a spring tending to move the valve 23 in a direction to open the duct 22 and simultaneously tending to press contact 25 against the edge of the note sheet. When the note sheet hasv traveled to a point where the composition is finished, the notch 24 will very shortly reach a position in front of the contact 25, whereupon the latter will move into the notch, and simultaneously the valve 23 will open the duct 22, causing the operation of the pneumatic 18 and the re leasing of the rod 16, which thereupon shifts to the right and reverses the music roll mechanism and causes the note sheet to be re-wound or re-rolled upon spool 2.

When the note sheet has been fully rewound, it is, of course, desirable to automatically stop the machine entirely, and to that end 1' have provided mechanism for that purpose. This automatic mechanism is likewise controlled by the note sheet, in this instance through the medium of the contact 25 and the valve 23, which moves to a second position shown in Fig. 2, wherein said valve uncovers a vent pipe 28, which controls pneumatic 29, which in turn controls latch 30, which in turn controls a rod 31 connected through the medium or" lever 32 with a valve 33, which cuts or? the motor 5 from the exhaust. The lever 32 may also be connected with an electric switch 34, so that it may be withdrawn from contact 35 to break the motor circuit of the driving motor, which in this instance may be assumed to be an electric motor of any suit able design, the same being suitably connected with the usual exhauster in any well. known manner now fully understood by mechanics skilled in the art.

36 is a spring, or equivalent device, which tends to move the lever 32 on its pivot 37 in a direction to operate the valve 33 to cut oil the motor and open the switch 34:.

vi/ hen the note sheet has been so fully rewound that the commonly tapered end thereof passes the contact 25, said contact and valve 23 will shift a second step to a position to open the duct 28, whereupon the latch 30 will be released by pneumatic 29 and the pneumatic motor circuitclosed and the electric driving motor circuit opened, so that not only will the pneumatic motor 5 stop, but the entire apparatus will be stopped, after which the then re-wound roll of music may be replayed, or removed, and a new one substituted. The parts are readily restored to their original starting position by merely swinging the lever 20 from the re-roll position to the play position since the rod 16 is not only connected to shaft 8 but may also have a suitable connection with lever 32.

What I claim is:

In an auto-pneumatic music playing instrument, a music roll mechanism including two winding arbor's, a pneumatic motor, means for connecting said motor to said arbors to drive-one or the other at will, in-

cluding means for reversing the direction or said drive, a stop mechanism, with pneu matics for controlling said reversing mechanism and said stop mechanism, valve mechanism for controlling said pneumatics,

and movable means controllable by contact with the edge of a note sheet for controlling said mechanism.

FEANK C. WilTE. l/Vitnesses y E. E. Mensa,

Grins. A. Pearl). 

